By Page Six | Created at 2026-07-30 12:58:49 | Updated at 2026-08-08 17:11:55
1 week ago
Winner takes all.
Ben Affleck and “Jeopardy!” champion Jamie Ding won the elusive $1 million prize on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.”
On Wednesday night’s episode of the hit game show, the “Gone Girl” star and Ding answered the 15th and final question correctly to take home the grand prize — which will go to Affleck’s foundation, the Eastern Congo Initiative.
The episode began with the pair having only two questions left to answer.
The $500,000 question read: “What achievement occurred just two months after a New York Times article said it wouldn’t happen for ‘1 million to 10 million years’?”
The four answers listed were: the first airplane flight, splitting the atom, cloning a mammal and the polio vaccine.
Ding initially thought the answer was the first airplane flight and Affleck agreed.
“I only remember this because it was a time in my life where I spent time looking up examples that the press got things wrong. Yeah, just randomly,” the Oscar winner, 53, explained.
“And I sort of, vaguely, in my subconscious remember the Times and the Wright brothers and that whole thing was 1905, 3 or 4, or something,” Affleck added.
Ding added: “I think ‘03.”
Host Jimmy Kimmel quipped that Affleck was “so much smarter” than his close friend Matt Damon, who also won the $1 million prize on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” alongside “Jeopardy!!” star Ken Jennings last year.
Affleck and Ding then decided to use the 50:50 lifeline to eliminate two answers, leaving them to choose from splitting the atom and the first airplane.
They correctly chose the first airplane and advanced to the million-dollar question, which read: “In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a US president?”
The four answers listed were: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball.
The “Good Will Hunting” actor said, “You must be kidding me,” and suggested they use their Phone-A-Friend lifeline.
When Ding’s friend didn’t answer in time, the pair took Kimmel’s advice and chose Spaghetti and Meatball and won $1 million.
After choosing the correct answer, Affleck and Ding held each other as they jumped up and down while confetti fell from the ceiling.
“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” airs Wednesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Welcome to the Page Six Community!
Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space.
In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience.
Simply put, keep it civil.
Your post will/might be rejected if it contains:
- Spam
- Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind
- Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice:
- Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
- Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments
- Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
So, how can you be a power user?
- Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across.
- 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions!
- Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.
Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!
